If only I'd known then what I know now…

Thirty-three years ago today…I was 24 years old, and very pregnant with my first child. In fact, I was nine days overdue, and extremely miserable! I was more than ready to give birth! In fact, I was so anxious, I’d already made a trip to the hospital because of a “false alarm”.

The weather had turned cool, and we didn’t have any heat in the new addition that we’d recently built on to our mobile home. Ed and his daddy were scrambling around trying to hook up a gas space heater in the new part of our house. (Does anyone remember those days of space heaters?) Ed’s daddy, good ole’ grandpa, was always there to lend a helping hand!

I still didn’t have a driver’s license, and had to rely on someone else to take me everywhere. Ed or his mother were usually my designated drivers. I tell you, that Ed is one special man! It’s unbelievable the number of times he drove me to the grocery store, the beauty shop, and to K-mart, but on this particular day, Ed’s mother drove me to town.

We spent the afternoon shopping around in the tiny town of Claxton, Ga. The idea was to get me out and walking, in hopes that I’d go into labor. We didn’t want to go very far from home, so we settled for Claxton ( 7 miles away), even though its shopping places were very limited.

In one small department store, I finally dared to let myself look at little dresses and other pink stuff. Ed’s mom and I picked out a beautiful, long, lacy pink dress that we really liked. We decided that if, by some chance, the baby turned out to be a little girl, this would be her coming home outfit. Since Ed comes from a family of five boys, and the first grandchild was also a boy, we didn’t hold out much hope of getting to buy that pink outfit…In fact, I referred to the baby as “Bubba”.

Later in the afternoon, after the shopping trip was over, I began to wonder if I might be leaking amniotic fluid. I had been expecting a “gush”, not a slow leak, so I really hadn’t paid much attention. Eventually Ed and I decided maybe we should take another drive to the hospital just to see what was going on. The hospital was over an hour away, so I was worried about waiting too long, even though I wasn’t having any pains. It was about 6 pm when we got into our car.

Once we arrived at the hospital, I was admitted, because sure enough, I’d been leaking amniotic fluid all day. That’s when the “fun” began. You know…all that horrible prep stuff they used to do back then. I wonder if they still do all of that torture…I’d never been in the hospital before, never had an IV, enema, shave, or any of that other horrid stuff, but let me tell you, before they finished with me, I experienced it all–and more!

About 5 o’clock the next morning, after 8 hours of very active labor (two of those hours spent trying to push the baby down lower into the birth canal) the doctor on call decided that the baby needed to come on out. They rolled me into a delivery room, then the doctor proceeded to perform what’s called a “high forceps delivery”. This is not an experience that I recommend to anyone! It consisted of the doctor dragging the baby out with a pair of tongs–and it was just as horrible as it sounds. No medication for me, and no pushing on my part during a contraction–just the doctor reaching in and dragging the baby out–while I screamed bloody murder.

Fortunately, our baby arrived safely, and I survived the less-than-pleasant birthing experience. Our baby girl was perfect, except for a temporary mark on her cheek caused by the forceps. We felt blessed. Actually, I felt a lot of other things, in addition to being blessed, but my sore, aching body would heal–eventually.

Yes…the baby was a “she”. The chain of male babies in Ed’s family was finally broken, when we were blessed with our little girl on a Sunday morning, the first day of October, at 5:22 in the morning! Tomorrow that little baby, our Brandy, will celebrate her 33rd birthday. Where has the time flown?

Brandy in her coming home outfit

The day after Brandy’s birth, Ed’s mom headed back to that little department store in Claxton, and bought that long lacy pink dress–and a bonnet to go with it! For the first time ever, she had the pleasure of buying a little girl’s dress. Ed and I dressed our little angel up in that beautiful dress, and brought her home the following day–all eight pounds of her! (We still have that little dress– in a shadow box.)

***Brandy, this little birthday video is for you. It was a labor of love, just like you were–33 years ago!

I’ve been traveling down memory lane for a while now, through old photographs. I’ve had a lot of laughs, a few tears, and have scratched my head on more than one occasion while thinking…What in the world were we thinking when we wore that! It’s funny how we think we look so “cool” at the time, only to discover, years later, how hideous the styles really were.

I noticed a pattern in our picture-taking over the years. We only seemed to take photographs on birthdays, Christmas, and special occasions. Our collection of pre-children Christmas photos consists of pictures of everyone’s Christmas trees, the gifts around the trees, and Christmas dinners. Why did we waste precious film taking pictures of food and wrapped gifts? If you’ve seen one baked turkey, you’ve seen them all, right?

Christmas at Ed's parents in the 70's

I know why we only took photos on special occasions. It was because film was expensive in those days. We had a Polaroid camera for several years, and we only got eight pictures from a package of film! Black and white film was cheaper than color, so we have more black and white photos than color ones. What a disappointment! To me a black and white photo is not much of a photo. I can’t stand them, and I don’t know why–in this modern-day–people will choose a black and white photo over a color one!

Ed in Okinawa~1971

I love how looking at photographs can transport me right back to that special time in my mind. Old photos of Ed while he was stationed in Okinawa conjure up the feelings of loneliness that I felt all those months while he was away, but also the feelings of great happiness when he finally came home! As I scanned those photos, I couldn’t help but marvel at all of the miles those photos had traveled. I wondered how many times those photos had been handled and looked at through the years. (Believe me, I handled them a lot during the 21 months that he was gone!) One old photo even had three tiny cat paw prints embedded in the finish of it! I couldn’t help but wonder whose paw prints those are…Perhaps, “B.B.” our first “cat child”?

Some of our photos have all but faded away. Black and white ones have turned light, while the color ones turned dark. On the computer, I was able to lighten up some of the dark photos enough to see what the images once showed, but not enough to get a decent photograph to reprint. I couldn’t help but think how these photos are somewhat like my memories…Fading with time and age.

a faded photo of my family in the early 70's

Thank goodness all of our photos aren’t Polaroids! Shortly after the birth of our first child, 33 years ago, we bought a Minolta 35mm camera. It was the best money that we ever spent! From that day forward, we always had at least one good camera on hand to capture the moment–even if somebody’s eyes were closed in the picture! Ahh…Those were the days, weren’t they?

I can’t leave without posting a nostalgic song to go with this nostalgic post. I loved The Carpenters. Nobody else can sing like Karen Carpenter could…and the sound of her voice takes me back every time!

I’m joining Joyce for a bit of weekly “Hodgepodge”. Here are today’s questions along with my answers:

1. It is officially fall here in North America…I realize not everyone who participates in the Hodgepodge lives in North America but if you do, what’s your favorite memory of Summer 2011? If you’re not in North America, what’s your favorite memory of the season just ending on your side of the world?

I would have to say my favorite summer memory is the 39th anniversary beach trip that Ed and I took back in June. It had been a long time since we’d taken a trip alone, and we enjoyed our “special time” together very much.

wishing I was here...

2. Your favorite nut? You know I mean the edible kind, right? I enjoy eating almost any kind of nut, but since we have pecan trees, and we sell their nuts to help pay our property taxes, I’m going to say pecans are my favorite nuts!

3. What activity puts your sense of balance to the test?Riding my bicycle. It’s not quite as easy to ride in a straight line as it used to be. My tracks make a zig-zag pattern as I ride up and down our dirt road!

4. How would you describe your sense of humor?Mild. I can take a joke, but I don’t really enjoy playing pranks on others, like some folks do. My husband on the other hand, has a large enough sense of humor for both of us! Just the other day, Ed took a large fake cockroach to work, rigged it to a cabinet door with a thread, then closed the cabinet. He then had a big time watching his co-workers’ response when they opened the cabinet door and saw that giant roach moving toward them!

5. September 28th is National Ask a Stupid Question Day…what’s your stupid question? Did you know that nine out of ten adults are afraid of roaches??? LOL

6. Roller skates~hula hoop~jump rope…which activity would you most enjoy? Yes, you have to choose.I always wanted to be able to roller skate! It looks like so much fun! My poor sense of balance combined with a total lack of coordination made it impossible to learn. I did try though.

7. What’s your most sentimental possession? It’s a tie between my collection of old photographs and my Christmas ornament collection. I honestly don’t know which I’d choose, if I had to, since neither can be replaced.

Random:

All day Monday, I’d been sitting at the kitchen table working with old photographs. I’d removed the photos from their ancient magnetic photo albums, scanned them, then placed the original photos in new scrapbooks for safe-keeping.

Later that afternoon, when Ed came home from work, this is the scene he found… Me in the kitchen finishing up supper, while supervising our grandson, Caden, as he ran around the house dragging out toys. The television was on “Chuck and Friends”, but nobody was watching.

I met Ed with a kiss, and said, “I’m multi-tasking”. He looked around at the mess in the kitchen, and said “I have just one question. What in the world are you doing with the PDR and the Bible in the kitchen?!” (Ha) Sure enough, there on the kitchen counter lay the very large and very heavy copies of our old PDR (physician’s desk reference) and Mama’s old family Bible…I’d been using them as weights to help flatten out those old curled up photographs! I suppose the books did look somewhat out of place among the peach cobbler and cubed steak!

The car in the photo was one of my hubby’s all-time favorite vehicles. It was a retired police cruiser that Ed won by placing the best sealed bid in a county auction. I believe he paid around two thousand dollars for it. He used it as a work car for several years, then sold it for the same amount of money that he paid for it.

Since the car was a former police cruiser, I don’t suppose I have to tell you that this car was built for speed. I’m pretty sure it may have sprouted wings a time or two while Ed was driving…but there was a reason for this. Ed used to be “on call” for the hospital–every third day, and every third weekend. When someone came through the Emergency Room and needed stat x-rays after regular working hours, Ed had to get there in a hurry!

The old police cruiser was also comfortable to ride in, and got pretty decent gas mileage. For years, Ed had a second job, which required some traveling. He enjoyed getting aound via his cruiser. (FYI: For those who may be wondering, before the cars are auctioned, all of the extra hardware is removed–like the bars behind the front seat and the lights on top!)

A few weekends ago, while both of our sons were visiting, the subject of speeding came up in conversation. I looked over at my hubby, who was sprawled out in his favorite chair, and I asked, “What’s the fastest that you’ve ever been in a car?” Without missing a beat, he quickly answered “A hundred and forty miles an hour.” I nearly passed out! I quickly asked him which car he’d traveled so fast in, thinking he might say our old red Corvette or the police cruiser. Instead he calmly replied, “Mama’s ’69 blue Mercury.” I replied, “I’m sure your mama would be thrilled to know about that!”

It was about this time that our boys confessed to going around 140 miles per hour in Brett’s red Firebird way back in the day! Oh my goodness! Say it ain’t so! I suddenly felt sick, just thinking about my two teenaged sons flying down the highway at such a high rate of speed! Mercy! There are just some things a mother doesn’t need to know.

I was barely recovered from hearing the news about the boys “speed testing” the Firebird when they sprang the biggest surprise of all on me. Apparently, Brett had tried out Ed’s police cruiser, too! I don’t even remember him ever driving Ed’s car! Brett apparently has tied his daddy’s record of 140 miles per hour–in his daddy’s car! (The phrase, “Like father, Like Son” comes to mind…)

Sometimes ignorance is bliss! Thank you, God, for watching over my big boys and keeping them safe–all three of them!

I’m happy to say, the weekend ended a whole lot better than it began! It began, on Friday, with my husband having to travel for two hours (one-way) to testify as a witness in court. Hubby had to leave home at 6:30 on a very foggy morning. Thankfully, he made it to his destination safely. He sat in court for an hour, then was excused without ever having to testify, when the accused man pleaded “no contest” to the forging of an x-ray report. It’s crazy what some people will do for drugs!

Meanwhile, on the home front next-door, our daughter’s kitchen was in shambles, with most of its contents sitting on her front porch! By lunch, on Friday, Brandy and her husband had moved the remaining kitchen clutter to the spare bedroom, so they would be able to get to their stove, the kitchen counter, and the dinner table. The kitchen floor continued to dry out, while Brandy learned to wash dishes in the bathtub!

On Saturday afternoon, our men got busy replacing the flooring in Brandy’s kitchen, and they finished getting the cabinet re-installed on Sunday. Somehow they managed to piece the old set of cabinets back together after they replaced the bottom area which was damaged by water. I’m so glad! A new set of cabinets just wasn’t in the budget at this particular time, which happens to be just three months until Christmas and tax time! My husband laughed and said the cabinets were now being held together with “duct tape and bobbie pins”! He was kidding–I think!

I spent part of the weekend disassembling more old photo albums and scanning the photos. Unfortunately, this chore was just as much “fun” as it was the last time I did it! I tell you, that’s some wicked glue in those “magnetic” photo albums from 40 years ago! I finally had to resort to using the hair dryer to melt the glue again. I had a great time walking down memory lane while scanning the old photos though!

Late on Saturday afternoon Ed fired up the grill, and we had a family cookout. All of our “kids” came over and everyone brought the meat of their choice. Brad and Jennifer showed up two hours late because Jennifer forgot to tell Brad that we were grilling, but better late than never, right? The grill was still hot, so Brad grilled their pork chops once they arrived.

All is well that ends well, and in spite of a bad beginning, the weekend had a good ending. We’re ready and waiting for the next adventure! I’m secretly hoping it will be long wait…

It has been the summer for leaks here in our neck of the woods…First, back in July, we found out that the condenser coil of our central air conditioning unit wasn’t working properly. Apparently this wasn’t a new problem, and the coil had been dripping water in the hall closet for quite some time before we discovered it. As a result, we have a few small hills and valleys in the floor surrounding the closet. Fortunately, it’s nothing we can’t live with– for now.

About two weeks ago my husband discovered a leaking hose behind our washing machine. I don’t know how long the hose had been leaking, but it hadn’t done any damage to the floor yet. We took up a few tiles, set a fan blowing on the floor for a couple of days to dry it out, then replaced the tiles–along with all of the drain hoses.

It appears that leak issues are contageous…Wednesday afternoon, our daughter, Brandy, came over from their house next-door, saying that her husband had just discovered a leak in their kitchen! This wasn’t just any old leak–this was the “mother of all leaks”! The water line located underneath the kitchen cabinet, had sprung a leak at some point. As a result, water had soaked a good portion of the floor covering under the cabinet, and in front of the sink. Did I mention that Brandy has Pergo floor covering in her kitchen? Pergo and water don’t mix well…

I called my husband, Ed, at work, and asked if he would come home as soon as possible, which he did. Late Wednesday afternoon, Ed and Clint, our son-in-law, took out the dishwasher, and the entire section of base cabinets on the wall where the leak was. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

They went on to take up the affected sections of Pergo, which happened to be half of the kitchen, and a portion of the dining room. (Ed happened to be the person who put the Pergo down, so he knew how to take it up as well.) If you know anything about Pergo, you know it links together in sections or “runs”. This is why they ended up taking up a section of the dining room. Thankfully, water hadn’t traveled very far, but stayed near the sink!

Since Brandy and Clint are without a cooking and eating area, they have been sharing my kitchen. Which means a lot of running back and forth. It’s a good thing we live so close! We’ve pooled our supper for the past two nights. This morning they got busy and cleared a work area in their kitchen, since it appears they may be without a sink for a few more days. Thank goodness for an extra bedroom, which is now storing the extra kitchen stuff from the cabinets!

Wouldn’t you know…we’ve been in drought mode for months, but suddenly it’s rained off and on for the past two days! We’re proud of the rain, but it makes it more difficult to dry the flooring out so the kitchen can be put back together!

Of course, on Wednesday afternoon, the base kitchen cabinet broke upon its removal! Actually it was already damaged from being removed one time before–now it’s damaged a lot worse–to the point that it really needs to be replaced.

Guess what will be going on around here this weekend? Searching for a new base cabinet to match the old cabinets, drying out a wet floor, and, hopefully, getting everything put back together again soon. In the meantime, Brandy and Clint will be living without water in the kitchen, walking on a half-finished floor–with lots of misplaced items, and taking lots of headache medication. Have a great weekend, everyone 🙂

Number 1 – The mall seemed a LOT bigger than I remembered it! Thank goodness I wore my favorite old Crocs shoes because I would’ve had some SERIOUS foot issues, otherwise! As it was, my back hurt, and my legs were sore–but my feet did not hurt. Thank you, Crocs!

Number 2 – People, in general, are a lot fatter than they used to be. Seriously, I’ve never seen so much “belly fat” in my life! I have my fair share of belly fat, but it’s taken me three pregnancies and 57 years to gain it. These were young folks! There’s just something about seeing a young woman (or man) already saddled with “belly fat” while they are still in their prime. Some appeared to be skinny everywhere else, but fat around the middle. What’s up with that? And before you say it…they weren’t pregnant!

Number 3 – Apparently people in the south just hate to put away their summer clothing! In spite of the fact that it was sixty-something degrees outside, and inside the mall (really, it was cold inside, too!), people were still dressed in spaghetti straps, shorts, and flip-flops! B-r-r-r-r.

Number 4 – All girl’s clothing, sizes 7 and up, is designed for very tall, slender children–who like to dress like teenagers…very sleazy teenagers! What ever happened to “pretty plus” sizes and the sweet, innocent look?

Number 5 – It now costs three dollars to ride the carousel at the mall! Oh my goodness! There is also a train that rides a short distance around part of the mall. It’s three dollars to ride the train, too. Heaven help those who are blessed with more than one child…they can spend a small fortune on mall rides.

Number 6 – Belk, the department store, apparently allows men to work in the cosmetic department these days. Not only that, but “said men” are allowed to wear full makeup while working there–as in foundation, powder, and complete eye makeup! Imagine our surprise when this really cute guy offered to help us… while wearing some absolutely gorgeous blue eyes shadow! Oh the times they are a changing…( and not for the better, I’m afraid).

Number 7 – Last, but not least, on the way home we encountered a small group of motorcyclists who called themselves “The Residential Riders”. Their behavior on bikes was atrocious! One guy was actually up on his knees while riding his bike down the highway. At the stop light, the riders in back kept ramming the bikes in front of them. Once the light turned green, they all sped off, zig-zagging in and out of traffic–between the two lanes of cars. In other words, they made their own lane! These guys were an accident waiting to happen! I couldn’t help but comment , “I wonder how tough they will be when they get hauled into the emergency department after eating a mile of asphalt!”

Yes, indeed! I learned a lot of things on that afternoon trip to the mall. It was a vey interesting day. I think it’s a crazy world out there–and there’s no place like home–until the next shopping trip, that is!

It’s my favorite time of the week–time for Joyce’s Wednesday Hodgepodge! Joyce continues to amaze me with her wonderful questions. Thanks, Joyce. If you’d like to join us, just click Joyce’s button at the top of this post.

1. Do you like chili? Red or white? Beans or no beans? Spice or no spice? Toppings?I love chili! I’ve never heard of white chili before. Am I missing something good? I make red chili with lots of red tomatoes, and I use both light and dark kidney beans! I like a litte kick to my chili, but not too spicy. Cheese is good on top, but I usually just stick with saltine crackers–on the side, not in the bowl! I’m funny that way! Now I’m hungry for some chili, but it’s too hot to eat chili. We’re still in the 80’s here…

3. Who did you idolize when you were growing up? The only person I may have idolized would have been my maternal grandmother. She was everything I thought a person should be–a kind Christian woman, a loving and devoted wife and mother, a great cook, plus she could embroider, crochet, or sew anything– and I wanted to be just like her.

4. When was the last time you did something ‘arts and craftsy’?Share please.It’s been a while…sometime back in the spring. The last thing I worked on was a scrapbook of pictures from my teen years. I scanned and reprinted my old black and white photos because they were turning brown and fading. Then I added some black and white graphics from the seventies (because that’s when I was a teen) to the scrapbook pages and remounted the photos. Of course, I haven’t quite finished the project yet, or I’d show you. (Remember, I got side tracked by a summer wedding.)

5. What’s a place that makes you really nervous? Anydoctor’s office sends my blood pressure up! You would think I’d be over all that after seventeen years of going for checkups every three months–but I’m not! I don’t do well with the dentist either!

6. Horse back riding…yay or nay (neigh?)Neigh! I once tried to ride a pony as a child, but I couldn’t stay on 😦 I have a poor sense of balance.

7. What is your favorite cliche? “Misery loves company”…ain’t that the truth! LOL

Random:Still no word about the door that was cracked for our son, Brad, last Wednesday. I’m still praying that it will be opened, which brings another cliche to mind–“Patience is a virtue”.

Yesterday wasn’t a typical Monday for me. I was invited by my daughter-in-law, Christina, to attend her doctor’s appointment with her and her sister. Christina is expecting our third grandchild in December, and was scheduled to have a 4D ultrasound. I was excited at the thought of getting to have a “sneak peek” at our newest grandchild!

a peek at little Chase...

Christina’s appointment was at 9 o’clock in the morning, which meant we had to be on the road by 8 o’clock Monday morning. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the road at 8 o’clock on Monday morning!!! Of course getting a peek at little Chase was well worth the trip. Those 4D ultrasounds are wonderful! I can’t tell heads from tails on a regular ultrasound, but 4D ultrasounds are quite detailed. It’s amazing how far technology has come in just a few short years! Christina was also able to purchase a dvd of the entire ultrasound for only three dollars. We made the men watch it with us on Monday night 🙂

I drove separately to the appointment so I could come on back home. Christina and her sister needed to do a little shopping afterward, and I’d done more than my share of shopping on Sunday! My legs were actually sore from walking so much in the mall! Can you say–“out of shape”? That’s me!

At the last-minute, after the ultrasound, I decided to run over to Hobby Lobby to check out their Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations. I ended up looking for an hour and a half! I love that store! I love all things holiday. I don’t buy much these days, because my storage tubs are full, but I still love to look! I gave into a moment of weakness and bought a few new Christmas ornaments. This is bittersweet, though, because it means I’ll have to retire some of my older ornaments. I’m quite attached to my Christmas ornaments! I can tell you a story about most of them–and where they came from.

I’m also very attached to my seasonal decorations that I’ve collected over the years. I first became interested in seasonal decorating while I was working at school. We decorated our classroom, so I figured why not decorate my house? I decorate for every month of the year, which means I have at least one plastic storage container of decorations for each month. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving decorations fill more than two tubs! When a tub gets too full, sometimes I share decorations with my daughter, Brandy.

Cindy, a friend and blog reader, has been curious to see the fall arrangement that I bought while on our last trip to Fernandina Beach, so I’m sharing a photo. I have a confession to make though. This is not the same arrangement that I originally bought on the way to the beach. On the way back home from Fernandina, I discovered that I had earned enough bonus points from Big Lots to qualify for my twenty percent discount. I decided to take the original arrangement back to Big Lots and exchange it for a larger one almost just like it! It only cost four dollars more with my discount! So here’s the arrangement–almost! I do have votive candles, I just haven’t put them in their holders yet.

I have a lot of “teacher stuff” from my years of working as a paraprofessional. Most of these items were gifts from students. Every year in September I always decorate my “year round tree” with apples, and I display all of my “teacher stuff”. I enjoy this month because it brings back fond memories, and the colors match my decor very well! Here’s a picture of the apple tree.

Last but not least, I watched some of the fall premieres on television on Monday night. I watched some of “Dancing With The Stars”. I turned it after an hour. I’ve been a loyal fan every season, but I’m growing weary…the costumes keep getting sexier, and so do the dances…and Chazz Bono…Was that controversy really necessary?

I watched a couple of sitcoms–one of them was the premier of “Two and A Half Men”. I just had to see how the show was with the addition of Ashton Kutcher. It was very sexual in nature, in fact, he spent half of the show naked! The show following ( 2 Broke Girls) wasn’t much better. More sexual humor! Apparently, somebody thinks “sex sells”. As for me, I think all this sex needs to go back into the bedroom–where it belongs.

Man, those weekends sure go fast, don’t they? I always thought they went fast when I worked, but they go equally fast even now that I’m retired.

The cooler weather was awesome, but there wasn’t any sun! The entire weekend was cloudy and gray, which made the weekend seem dismal. I kept hoping it would rain, but it didn’t. What a shame!

We spent Saturday puttering around the house. Ed in the yard, me in the house. He worked on things like moving dirt and trash piles, while I worked on de-cluttering my kitchen counters. I’m notorious for letting stuff pile up. I also put the new fall table-cloth on the table, along with the table runner and my new fall table arrangement. The kitchen is officially decorated for fall. Ed officially moved his pile of trash from one spot to another! He’s notorious for letting stuff pile up, too!

Saturday afternoon both of our boys came down for a visit. One of their wives was working, while the other wife was shopping. It’s always interesting, and usually funny, when those two boys get together! Actually, they are both grown men now, but they will always be boys to me. They watched a little football, and ate some pizza with us. Have I mentioned how much I hate football??? Of course, I was outnumbered 3 to 1, so football it was! Blah. At least I was in good company!

On Sunday, Ed and I rode to the city with our daughter and her family. Brandy had some things that needed to be returned, and Madison needed a few things for school. Oh my goodness! Trying to find clothing to fit Madison is like trying to find a needle in a haystack! It’s nearly impossible to find anything to fit the child! Madison is not fat, but she’s not a string bean either! After several stores, several hours, and trying on many outfits, Madison ended up with four outfits for school! We were all pooped! I found out exactly how out of shape I am!

We ended our day with a stop at one my favorite places, The Cracker Barrel. Since it was Sunday, we ordered their homestyle fried chicken. Delicious! How appropriate– The Zac Brown Band was playing “Chicken Fried” in the background…Hmmmm…Fried chicken and pizza…and now I know exactly why I’m out of shape!

Have a great Monday! As for me…I think I need to go out and get some exercise!